Hand-operated liquid atomizer



April 1, 1952 E. D. ROGERS 2,591,295

HAND-OPERATED LIQUID ATOMIZER Original Filed Aug. 20, 1948 lilium 35 37 39 1N VEN TOR. k 35 .EDGE/vf HOGE/Q5 BY Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Original application August 20, 1948, Serial No. 45,249. Divided and this application February 2l, 1950, Serial No. 145,325

2 claims. (o1. 222-103) This invention relates to liquid dispensers and more particularly to a device for containing liquid, such as perfume, and dispensing such liquid in the form of a ne spray or mist, and constitutes a division of my Patent No. 2,509,251, issued May 30, 1950.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a liquid dispenser including a permanent case and an expendible cartridge which lits into the case and contains the liquid to be dispensed, which includes manually operated means for compressing the cartridge to expel liquid therefrom in the form of a fine spray or mist, which includes a small auxiliary chamber communicating with the chamber provided within the cartridge so that the auxiliary chamber receives fluid from the cartridge and returns undispensed fluid to the cartridge, which is of small size and light weight so that it can be held in one hand for use and easily carried in a pocket or handbag and is especially adapted to carry liquid perfume, and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, easy to operate, and neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a liquid dispenser illustrative of the invention; y

Figure 2 is a transverse cross sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 Figure 4 is a cross sectional view similar to Figure 2 of a fragmentary portion of the device showing the parts in a different operative position from that illustrated in Figure 2;

' Figure 5 is a perspective view of the `cartridge compressing mechanism constituting an operative component of the device; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational View of a replaceable or dipensable liquid containing cartridge for the device.

With continued reference to the drawing, the device comprises a hollow casing I of elliptical shape in transverse cross section and of elongated, substantially rectangular shape in longitudinal cross section. This casing may be made of any suitable material, such as metal, synthetic resin plastic or hard rubber and includes a side wall II, an internal partition I2 extending longitudinally of the 4interior of the casing and dividing the interior of the casing into two contiguous chambers of different sizes, the larger chamber being indicated at I3 and the smaller chamber at I4. An end wall I5 is permanentlysecured to the side wall I I at one end of the latter Vand is provided with two openings I6 and I1 of which the opening I6 opens into the larger chamber I3 and the opening I1 opens into the smaller chamber I4. A grommet or bushing I8 is mounted in the opening I1 and provides :a bearing for a purpose presently to be described.

At the end of the side wall I I opposite the end Wall I5 a cover I9 is pivotally connected at one end to the side wall by a hinge connection 20 and covers the corresponding end of the larger chamber I3. At the end of the 'smaller chamber I4 opposite the end wall I5 the casing side wall and partition structure are formed to provide a substantially circular opening which is internally screw threaded and a screw plug 2l is threaded into this circular opening to close the end` of the chamber I4 opposite the end wall I5.

The partition I2 has an opening 22 'therein disposed substantially at the mid-length location of the partition and communicating with the two chambers I3 and I4. V

A dispensable cartridge or container 25 is mounted in and substantially fills the chamber I3 in the casing. This cartridge is insertable into and removable from the casing through the opening provided at the corresponding end of the casing when the cover I9 is moved to open position.

This cartridge 25 has substantially flat `end Walls 26 and 21 and a side wall 28 of generally elliptical cross sectional shape. The entire cartridge or container 25 is formed of a suitable material such as thin walled sheet metal and the side wall 28 is iiexi-ble and resilient so that it can be compressed to reduce the internal capacity of the cartridge and, when the pressure is released. will return substantially to its original shape.

The end wall 26 of the cartridge is provided with `an opening and the enlarged end 29 of a tube 30 is secured in this opening. The tube extends longitudinally of the cartridge from` the end wall 26 to a location closely adjacent the end wall 21 and the enlarged end portion 29 of the tube extends beyond the outer side of the end wall 26 and is externally screw threaded near its outer end. The enlarged end portion 29 of tube 3!) provides an auxiliary chamber into which liquid is forced from the cartridge to be dispensed and from which undispensed liquid is returned to the cartridge. When the cartridge is mounted in the chamber I3 of the casing the eni each other.

larged end portion of the tube extends through the opening I6 provided in the end wall I5 of the casing and a cup or nozzle 3I having therein a restricted aperture 32 of preferably less than capillary dimensions is threaded onto the externally screw threaded outer end of the tube 30. If desired, the opening in the cap may be made longer and a Wick extended through this opening from the auxiliary chamber provided by the enlarged portion 29 of tube 36.

Before the cartridge is placed in the casing I a dispensable cap 33, as illustrated in Figure 6, is threaded onto the outer end of the enlarged portion 29 of the tube 30 to prevent leakage of the contents of the cartridge. When the cartridge is installed in the casing and the nozzle 3| applied, this cap 33 is discarded. y.

The side Wall 28 of the cartridge is provided substantially at the mid-length location of the side wall with two opposed recesses v34 and 35 .of elongated shape which extend transversely of the cartridge from one edge thereof for a distance rsomewhat greater than one half the width of the cartridge.

A cartridge compressing mechanism is disposed in the casing and comprises a plier like structure having two elongated arms 36 and 31 of which the arm 36 is disposed in the recess 34 and the arm 31 in the recess 35 of the cartridge 25. The arms 36 and 31 extend into the opening 22 in the partition I2 and the arm 35 is pivotally mounted in the partition by a pivot pin 38 while the arm .31 is pivotally mounted in the partition by a corresponding pivot pin 39. The partition I2 is provided at the opposite ends of the opening 22 with angularly shaped grooves, as indicated at 40 in Figure 4, which receive the ends of the pins 38 and 39 to pivotally mount the pins in the partition, these grooves opening to one side of -the partition so that the pins can be inserted into an extension which extends through the partition `and into the chamber I4. This extension comprises a portion 4I disposed substantially perpendicular to the arm 36 and directed toward the center of the partition I2, a portion 42 extending substantially perpendicularly fromV the arm 4I in a direction opposite that at which the arm 3F .extends from the portion 4 I, a portion 43 extend- `ing at an angle from the end of the portion 42 opposite the portion 4I and a portion 44 extending from the end of the portion 43 opposite the portion 42 and disposed substantially parallel to the arm'36 and the portion 4,2.

The arm 31 has a similar extension compris- `ing the corresponding portions 45, 46, 41 and 43.

The angularly, disposed portions 43and 41 cross over each other and are complementarily notched to provide stops which limit the movement of th portions 44 and 48 toward and away from ,The portions V44 and 48 constitute spring abutments and a coiled compression spring 49 is disposed between these abutments and exerts a resilient separating force on the abutments j44and 48 and on the arms 36 and 31.

A rod 50 is slidably mounted in the grommet I8and extends `fromrthe outer side of the casing end wall I5 into the chamber I4 and between the 4portions 42 and 46 of the plier like, cartridge compressing mechanism. A thumb button 5I is secured on the end of this rod at the outer side of 'the casing end wall I5 anda double tapered cam V bers, said partition having an opening therein 4 52 of circular cross section is provided on the rod at the side of the arm extension portions 42 and 46 adjacent the end wall I5 of the casing. A spring abutment washer 53 is secured on the other or inner end of the rod 56 and a coiled compression spring 54 is disposed between the abutment 53 and the screw plug 2| and tends to resiliently urge the rod outwardly of the chamber I4 through the grommet I8. An abutment pin or washer 55 secured to the rod 50 contacts the inner side of the grommet I8 to limit outward movement of the rod 50 by the spring 54.

With this construction, when the thumb button 5I is manually depressed the rod 50 is forced inwardly of the chamber I4 against the force of spring 54 and a cam 52 is forced between theV arm extension portions 42 and 46 separating these portions against the force of spring 49 and forcing the arms 36 and 38 toward each other to compress the intermediate portion of the cartridge 25. The compression of the cartridge by the arms 36 and 31 will expel a jsmall quantity of the liquid contents thereof from the cartridge 25 through the nozzle 3l. The restricted bore 32 of the nozzle will cause this liquid to be expelled in the form of a ne spray or mist.

The invention may be embodied in other specic forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come Within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1 A liquid dispenser comprising a hollow casing having a partition therein dividing the interior of said casing into two contiguous chambers, said partition having an opening therein and said casing having an opening in one Wall thereof opening into one of said chambers,Y aV resilient walled cartridge disposed in said one chamber vandcarrying a nozzle extending through the opening in said one wall, cartridge compressing means engaging said cartridge and extending through the opening in said partition into Ythe other of said chambers, said casing having a second opening in said one wall thereof opening into said other chamber, and manually` operable means extending through said second opening into said other chamber and engaging said cartridge compressing means for operating the latter to. compress said cartridge and expel liquid contents lof `said cartridge through said nozzle, said cartridge compressing means comprising twoopposed arms disposed at respectively opposite sides of said cartridge and pivotally mounted in the opening in said partitionVeach of said arms having an extensionA extending into said other chamber and a spring disposed between said extension and exerting a separating force on'said arms, and said manually operated means comprising a rod slidably mounted in the second opening in said casing wall and extending between said arm extensions, and a cam on said rod `movable between said arm extensions to force said arms together and compress said cartridge therebetween.

2. A liquid dispenser comprising a hollow casing having a partition therein dividing theV interior of said casing into two contiguous chamand said casing having an opening in one wall thereof opening into one of said chambers, a resilient walled cartridge disposed in said one chamber and carrying a nozzle extending through the opening in said one wall, cartridge compressing means engaging said cartridge and extending through the opening in said partition into the other of said chambers, said casing having a second opening in said one Wall thereof opening into said other chamber, and manually operable means extending through said second opening into said other chamber and engaging said cartridge compressing means for operating the latter to compress said cartridge and expel liquid contents of said cartridge through said nozzle, said cartridge compressing means comprising two opposed arms disposed at respectively opposite sides of said cartridge and pivotally mounted in the' opening in said partition, each of said arms having an extension extending into said other chamber and a spring disposed between said extensions and exerting a separating force on said 1arms, and said manually operated means comprising a rod slidably mounted in the second opening in said casing wall and extending between said arm extensions, and a cam on said rod movable between said arm extensions to force said arms together and compress said cartridge therebetween, said cartridge having oppostely disposed recesses in the side wall thereof respectively receiving said arms.

EUGENE D. ROGERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following"references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 

